At its annual Apple event, the company unveiled new iPhone 17 models, Apple Watches, and AirPods, raising prices across the lineup to emphasize its focus on premium innovation and design.
The company increased prices for its iPhones despite receiving a tariff break from President Donald Trump earlier this year. This relief did not translate into consumer savings, as Apple instead leaned into its premium brand identity.
Highlights from the Annual Apple Event
Apple positioned the new iPhone 17 Air, a reinvention of last year’s iPhone 16 Plus, as a game-changer. It is the slimmest iPhone the company has ever produced at 5.6mm thin and weighs around 165 grams.
The iPhone 17 Air starts at $999 for a 256GB model, a $100 increase from last year’s equivalent. It features a 48MP fusion camera, a ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate, and 3,000 nits of peak brightness.
New iPhone 17 Models and Prices Announced
The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, while the Pro Max model begins at $1,199, both with 256GB of storage. These models feature a new unibody design and professional-grade camera features like Genlock syncing.
The standard entry-level iPhone 17 will start at $799 with 256GB of storage. Apple also emphasized “all-day battery life,” noting a new MagSafe accessory can extend the iPhone 17 Air’s video playback to 40 hours.
Improved Apple A19 Bionic Chip Performance
The Pro models are built on the new Apple A19 Bionic chip, which includes a 16-core Neural Engine. This new processor powers the devices’ advanced camera systems and overall speed.
AirPods Pro 3 Introduce Live Translation
The third-generation AirPods Pro introduce an innovative live translation function and new health features such as heart rate sensing. The device’s active noise cancellation is now up to four times stronger than the original models.
Priced at $249, the AirPods Pro 3 will be available starting Sept. 19. They offer up to 8 hours of listening time on a single charge, an improvement from the previous generation’s 6 hours.
Advanced Apple Watch Health Monitoring Features
The new Apple Watch Series 11, starting at $399, adds monitoring for possible hypertension and sleep apnea. The hypertension notification feature is currently pending clearance from the FDA.
The Apple Watch SE 3, priced at $249, now includes the sleep apnea notification, a feature previously limited to more expensive models. The rugged Apple Watch Ultra 3 starts at $799 and will ship on September 19 with a battery that lasts up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode.
New Accessories Central to Product Strategy
The event also showcased new accessories like a low-profile MagSafe battery pack and fashion-oriented TechWoven cases. This signals that accessories are now central to how Apple expects customers to power, protect, and personalize their devices.
